Parents of 165 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) candidates in the Binduri District of the Upper East Region are demanding urgent intervention after the Mathematics objective answer scripts of their wards were reportedly declared missing.
The affected candidates are from six Junior High Schools (JHS) in the district: Benguri JHS, Christian Academy, Yaligun JHS, Amazing Grace JHS, Good Friends International JHS and Gumyoko JHS.
The development has left the students and their parents deeply worried, particularly as the affected candidates await the outcome of the 2026 BECE and subsequent placement into Senior High Schools (SHSs).
The six schools are among 12 JHSs in the Binduri District that participated in the examination.
According to Ayamba Paul, a parent and headteacher, the affected parents and school authorities contacted the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) office in Bolgatanga on Monday to seek clarification over the results of their wards.
They were reportedly informed that the Mathematics objective answer sheets of the 165 candidates could not be traced**.
The revelation has triggered anxiety among parents, who fear that the missing scripts could negatively affect the students’ examination results and their chances of securing placement into their preferred SHSs.
The parents insist that their children prepared adequately for the examination and duly participated in all the papers, making the reported disappearance of only the Mathematics objective scripts particularly distressing.
“My child wrote all the papers. How can you tell us that only Maths is missing? We want our children to be placed in SHS. They should not suffer for this,” a distraught parent told ModernGhana.
Yayra Aidam, one of the affected parents, expressed frustration over the situation and said parents were determined to protect the educational future of their children.
She said parents had raised their wards and were familiar with their academic abilities, arguing that the students should not be made to bear the consequences of what they described as negligence.
According to her, the parents have given the Ghana Education Service (GES) and WAEC a two-week ultimatum to resolve the matter and ensure that the affected students are placed in Senior High Schools.
She warned that failure to address the situation within the period could compel the parents to take further action.
Another parent, Rev. Pastor Joshua Sofo, said the development had taken a toll on the emotional and psychological wellbeing of the affected students.
He appealed to the relevant authorities to urgently intervene and find a solution that would prevent the students from losing out on their preferred educational opportunities.
The parents are particularly concerned because Mathematics is one of the core subjects in the BECE and plays an important role in determining candidates’ overall performance and subsequent placement.
They argue that their children should not be disadvantaged because of an administrative or logistical problem beyond their control.
For the affected students, the uncertainty comes at a critical point in their educational journey, as thousands of BECE candidates across the country prepare to transition from basic education to Senior High School.
Parents say leaving the matter unresolved could create unnecessary delays and uncertainty for the students, particularly if their BECE results are affected or their placement options become limited.
They are therefore calling on WAEC and the GES to immediately investigate the circumstances surrounding the missing Mathematics objective answer scripts, establish what happened and communicate clearly with the affected parents and schools.
The parents are also demanding assurances that the 165 candidates will not be punished for an issue they had no control over.
They want the authorities to take every necessary step to ensure that the affected students are able to continue their education without disruption and, where possible, secure placement in their first-choice Senior High Schools.
The parents maintain that the students sat for the examination in good faith and should not be forced to bear the consequences of missing examination materials.
By 1960news.com
